Keywords: high solids, flashing, wrinkling, blistering, peeling
A proctologist joked that he should charge more for patient visits than other doctors. Why? Because he had to endure each day looking at peoples’ nether region. By that logic, Phoenix painters should get paid more in the summertime for having to endure the scorching heat. However, just as the proctologist chose his field, so did the painter. We don’t get a bump in pricing to cover the inconvenience or unpleasantness of summer.
Looking on the bright side, Phoenix area painters are fortunate to be able to work year-round. Much of the rest of the country experiences cold winters or rainy seasons. You just can’t paint in the cold and the wet. Most experts advise against painting in temperatures below 50 degrees. That’s not a significant problem in Phoenix. There can be a slight bump in pricing for low temp 35-degree paint. But for a typical home, that would only be about $100 more than the quality paint we specify. Here are the concerns of painting in cold temperatures:
If the exterior temperature is too cold, you may experience:
- Extended dry times
- Paint separation
- Peeling
- Inability for latex paint to form a film
But what about painting in high temperatures? To begin with, we only use top quality paints from the best paint manufacturers. The quality paints have a higher solids content which are designed to be reduced up to ten percent (thinned-out) to slow down drying time. MTS craftsmen will always reduce the least possible amount for the conditions at hand. Because of the high temperatures and low humidity, the painter may have to slow down drying. But we never have to stand around waiting for the paint to dry.
From May through September, we start each morning at 6:00 AM and finish by 2:00 PM, thus avoiding the hottest part of the afternoon. Our painters practice a technique called “chasing the sun”, although a more accurate name would be hiding from the sun. The idea is to work on the shady side of the structure as much as possible.
The bottom line is this – the Phoenix summer heat does not affect painting prices or the way we estimate your paint job. Our professional estimators price and cost the work by production rates and paint application rates, so pricing is always fair and consistent.
But it does affect our profitability. The painters have to pace themselves and keep hydrated. Tedious jobs get more drawn out. Efficiency drops as the afternoon sun rises in the sky. But there’s a caveat, over the decades we’ve noticed painters are much more efficient in spring and well into the summer than in winter. Odd . . . maybe they just love working outside in beautiful Phoenix weather.
If the exterior temperature is too hot, you may experience:
MTS painters are very experienced at summer painting. We take all necessary steps to keep our crews safe and to ensure your structure is properly painted. For more information, see How Hot is Too Hot to Paint in Arizona’s Summer Heat?
